Reflections-I am a Corporal

During the Revolutionary War, a group of soldiers were ordered to raise a heavy
timber which the enemy had caused to block the road. They could scarcely lift
it from the ground. A young corporal stood by, urging the men to lift hard,
and shouting, "Now boys, right up!" With each subsequent failure to move
the immense timber, the corporal's commandeering sounded more and more severe.

A superior officer passing by observed the efforts of the men and the sharp
commands of the corporal. He rode up to them, dismounted, and lent his own
strength to the task, lifting with the men. When the timber was in place,
the officer asked the corporal why he did not help with the task.